Plastic pollution occurs in every ecosystem on the planet and lingers for decades. Could insects be part of the solution? Previous research found that insects can ingest and absorb pure, unrefined microplastics—but only under unrealistic, food-scarce situations. In a new Biology Letters paper, UBC zoologist Dr. Michelle Tseng and alumna Shim Gicole tested mealworms in…
Around 90 % (4.5 trillion) of cigarettes consumed globally are improperly discarded, making cigarette butts one of the most common waste types. They contain harmful chemicals such as metals, nicotine, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which leach into water and threaten aquatic life. Nicotine dissolves readily in water, with approximately half leaching out from cigarette butts…
Discover seven products that represent a new wave of bio-derived offerings for interior design and architecture. WHAT IF THE MATERIALS of the building industry weren’t sourced from mining and extraction, but rather from agriculture and animal husbandry? This dream—that we could someday grow our building products—is represented the offerings shown here. Some bring ancient materials…
The Mediterranean Basin’s diverse climates and ecosystems have shaped a rich botanical heritage through centuries of selective cultivation, resulting in a wide array of horticultural plants with valuable therapeutic properties. The use of horticultural food plants as herbal remedies has become an integral part of traditional medicine in this geographical context. The present review aims…
Nowadays, there is a high demand in many industrial countries for healthy foods and sustainable products and so to explore innovative food technologies, such as fortification with bioactive compounds such as antioxidants and polyphenols, that may be sourced from herbs or by-products. This study’s objective was to explore the fortification of refined olive oils with…